V9 - Lots and the Lots list
Lot tracking, a feature available to Plus and Pro plan subscribers, is used to track batches or groups of a specific item. Lots work similarly to serialized inventory, except a lot represents a group of items instead of an individual unit. Although all lot items are included on the Items list (Operations > Inventory > Items), this list is designed only to provide the characteristics of a lot item. The Lots list (Operations > Inventory > Lots), however, provides the in-stock information of the physical items in the warehouse, as well as the lot number and the name of the item to which it corresponds, the quantity in stock, the quantity available to be picked, the lot's expiration date, and whether it has been recalled.
A lot number is assigned to each batch of items, and the number stays with the batch as it goes through the system. You can track when each batch was received, shipped, manufactured, and so on, as well as set an expiration date for the lot. If something is wrong with the lot, you can mark it for recall.
It is important to note that lots are location-sensitive and can be spread across multiple locations. The In stock column of the Lots list displays the total quantity of a lot across all locations. However, if you click the in-stock value for an item (indicated by a broken underline), a pop-up window appears that shows location-specific inventory quantities, as shown in the screenshot below. Only the locations with stock are displayed. Your Status filter setting determines the quantity displayed based on either All; Not expired, not recalled; Expired; or Recalled.
The following lot-related topics are covered in other articles in the Help Center:
- Settings for lot inventory
- Creating a new lot-tracked item
- Adding lot items into inventory (relevant for item receipts, output items in builds and processes, and for adjustments in which a lot does not yet exist)
- Using existing lots on transactions (relevant for shipments, transfers, adjustments, returns, rentals, etc.)
- Handling a transaction that includes different lots of the same lot-tracked item
- Converting a non-lot-tracked item into a lot-tracked item
- Lot stock status report
The Plus and Pro plans of SOS Inventory support lot-tracked inventory.
Viewing the history of a lot
To view the history of a lot, go either to: (1) the Lots list (Operations > Inventory > Lots) and use the item’s Actions menu to select Transaction history; or (2) the Lot history report (Operations > Reports > Inventory > Lot history) to view the history of one or more lots.